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[Saba Sports News] On Wednesday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5, completing a surprisingly dominant gentleman’s sweep.
The underdog Timberwolves were powered by a monster performance from Rudy Gobert, who shredded the Lakers’ small-ball lineup with 27 points and 24 rebounds.
After the game, head coach Chris Finch praised Gobert while taking aim at the critics who have followed him throughout his career.
“When you have this guy on your team, you understand what a professional and a winner is,” Finch told Chris Hine of the Star Tribune. “He’s such a competitor. He doesn’t listen to the outside noise — we don’t either. Nobody is happier for Rudy than his teammates, especially Anthony [Edwards], who made sure everyone knew it was Rudy’s night.”
Julius Randle also delivered a strong series, shedding past playoff criticisms of his own.
“Another guy who’s faced a lot of unfair criticism,” Finch said. “He was outstanding on both ends of the floor. We don’t win this series without him.”
Few expected Minnesota to prevail over a star-studded Lakers team featuring LeBron James and Luka Doncic, let alone in five games. But the Timberwolves made a statement with a blowout win in Game 1 and never looked back, taking the final three games to close out the series.
Minnesota now awaits the winner of the Golden State Warriors–Houston Rockets series, with the Warriors holding a 3-2 lead as the series returns to the Bay Area for Game 6. While Golden State has more offensive firepower than Houston, their limited frontcourt depth could make them vulnerable — just as the Lakers were.
The Western Conference semifinals are set to tip off next week.